My Favorite Shoes

(Please excuse the horrible self photo and read on)

Oh how I love these shoes! I love them so much that I rarely wear them. Do you ever do that?

You see, I got them in Switzerland on the backpacking trip I took trough Europe the summer of 2001. I was completely alone and carried nothing but a school-sized backpack for ten days through five countries (crazy, right?). The shoes were my one splurge, $65 US! (More than double what I paid for a night in any hostel the whole trip!). I had to tie them to the outside of my backpack because it was already full to the brim.

I'm fairly certain that I will never find these shoes for purchase again. I've looked. So I wear them only when I'm in a special mood (and certain that I won't be anywhere muddy that day).

I could go into the philosophy of saving something that will inevitably wear out, but I won't. I will just make these shoes last as long as I can. Because I can. That's all.